Sierra Leone Deploy Troops To Ebola Clinics

Click banner for more info

The government of Sierra Leone has deployed hundreds of troops to Ebola clinics, to enforce the isolation of patients, the president’s office said on Tuesday.

A presidential aide told AFP the soldiers would “deter relatives and friends of suspected and Ebola patients from forcefully taking them from hospitals without medical consent”.
Ebola, a deadly tropical virus which causes severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable internal and external bleeding, has claimed the lives of almost 900 people in four west African nations since the start of the year.

9-Year-Old Dies In Playground Stabbing

Click banner for more info

A 9-year-old boy has died after being stabbed repeatedly by another child at a playground at a mobile home park in western Michigan, police said Tuesday.

Police in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids, said in a statement that Michael Conner Verkerke ran home and collapsed on the porch around 6 p.m. Monday after he was stabbed. An ambulance was called, the department said, and he died after being taken to a hospital.

Witnesses told police four children were playing when one of them, for an unknown reason, pulled a knife and stabbed the boy.

Sleepwalking Wife Slices Husband, Claims She Was Dreaming About Filleting Fish

Click banner for more info

A woman accused of slicing her husband’s neck allegedly told police she was just having a dream about filleting fish.  Judith Irene Jones, 44, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, WTRF reported. Police were called to Jones’ home in Dillonvale, Ohio on Saturday morning, after the couple’s 16-year-old daughter reported that Jones stabbed her father in the neck.
Responding officers found Jones’ 49-year-old husband with his neck cut open. While Jones allegedly gave the dream excuse, police records indicate that she has threatened the life of her husband multiple times in the past.

US Found Cure For Ebola?

Click banner for more info

The family of Nancy Writebol, one of the missionary medical practitioners that contracted the Ebola virus while on a joint Samaritan’s Purse-SIM team, was already planning her funeral as she lay stricken with Ebola in Liberia amid the disease’s deadliest recorded outbreak.

She and her colleague, Dr. Kent Brantly, who have both been flown to the United States are defying odds to stay alive…and seem to be getting better.  Writebol’s two sons expect to communicate with her soon, Johnson said. The family was considering funeral arrangements for her just last week, days after she became sick, David Writebol said through Johnson.

African leaders seek 15-year extension for AGOA

Click banner for more info

African leaders yesterday urged the United States  to renew the trade benefits programme giving duty-free access to billions of dollars of African exports for 15 years, saying it would help cement trade relations and boost development in the region.

South African President Jacob Zuma, one of nearly 50 African leaders in Washington to attend a three-day summit, said the renewal of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) when it expires next year, is one of the key issues for this week’s talks.

“Almost 95 per cent of South African exports receive preferential treatment under AGOA,” Zuma said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, joining calls by the African Union for a 15-year extension.

Continue..

Ebola: Red Cross moves to prevent spread

Click banner for more info

The Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society has expressed its readiness to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus, malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera and water-borne diseases, among others.

It spoke yesterday through its branch chairman, Mobolaji Onibudo, an engineer, during the opening ceremony of its 50th anniversary at Government College, Ikorodu. The event was its annual youth leadership course and camping with the theme: “My Red Cross Story.”

The camp, which hosted the members of the society across local government areas in the state, will end on Sunday.

Boko Haram female bombers

Click banner for more info

Boko Haram insurgents have suddenly engaged underaged girls for suicide bombing mission which must be denounced. It is rather begging the question of, what really Boko Haram is driving at? The terrorist sect is generally regarded as a Islamic fundamentalist group set out to destroy and exterminate Nigerians’ fragile unity. It is also begging the question whether Boko Haram is agitating for a genuine cause or otherwise. 

Bayelsa communities shut oil wells

Click banner for more info

Members of the Egbebiri communities in Biseni clan, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, have seized the Idu oil field belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).

It was learnt that the field is made up of about five oil wells numbered as 3, 6, 8, 11 and 12.

The Egbebiri communities were said to have shut the oil wells over the failure of Agip to satisfy some of their demands.

“Five oil wells operated by Agip in the company’s Idu field in Biseni have been shut down by community folks. Wellheads 3, 6, 8, 11 and 12 have been shut since Sunday night,” a source who pleaded for anonymity said.

Pastor drowned in Ilorin while creating water channel

Click banner for more info

The pastor of a church in Ilorin, Kwara State, was swept away by flood on Tuesday following an early morning heavy rain that lasted for about seven hours.  The pastor, whose name has yet to be ascertained as of press time, was said to be creating s water channel for the erosion when he suddenly slipped into a drainage channel and got washed away.

Continue..

Is Nigeria a nest of dishonesty (2)

Click banner for more info

It seems that some people almost misread the earlier part of this article. Dishonesty is a worldwide phenomenon but it appears that it has grown so much in our country that it has taken over our reputation. It is not indigenous to Nigeria and I did not mean to say that. I am just getting concerned about the consequences on the country especially on a few honest people among us. Part of my concern is that dishonesty has cost us so much as a country. So many international businesses become cautious when it is time to deal with Nigeria. Can you see something as universally accessible as e-bay cannot operate in Nigeria? Do you know why? On the e-bay platform, the key factor is trust. If someone puts out an item for sale, a potential customer must trust that information available and use it to place a bid.

Why Osun must not vote for Omisore –Oyinlola

Click banner for more info

Former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State on Tuesday urged the people of the state against voting for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Oyinlola, who publicly declared for the All Progressives Congress at the mega rally of the party held at the Osogbo Township Stadium, on Tuesday, accused Omisore of being selfish.

He urged the people of the state to vote for Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who incidentally, was the one who unseated him from office after a marathon legal battle which lasted over three-and-a-half years.

Continue..

Cultists lay three-day siege on Lagos streets

Click banner for more info

Residents of Adedoyin, Awofeso, and four other streets in Somolu, Lagos have recounted how some suspected cultists attacked the area, injuring people and stealing their belongings last weekend.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the other areas touched by the armed cultists included Olorunshogo, Eyo, Ige and Opeloyeru streets. Our correspondent gathered that the cultists attacked the area from about 10pm on Friday evening, going from street to street. They were said to have struck on no fewer than seven streets by Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Continue...

Mixed Reactions Trail Omisore’s Bus Donation To OAU Students

Click banner for more info

Ahead of the forthcoming Osun State Governorship elections on August 9, the PDP governorship aspirant, Senator Iyiola Omisore has donated a bus to the Students’ Union of the Students’ Union.


*Senator Iyiola Omisore
The donation of the bus has caused mixed reactions among the students, while some of the students welcomed the receipt of the bus by the Students Union, others, however were not in support of receiving it.
One of the students, who negated the receipt of the bus, Sola Adebola, accused the SU government of selling the rights of the students.

President Jonathan Is Behind Chibok Abduction – Tinubu

Click banner for more info

The National leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, said Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan was behind the abduction of the over 200 Chibok Secondary School girls in Borno State.

Tinubu, who spoke at the final Mega Rally for Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Osogbo, said since Jonathan had told the world that he knew where the girls were kept, he knew about their abduction.

South-South governors, leaders endorse Jonathan for 2015

Click banner for more info

South-South governors and leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party on Tuesday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election next year.

The endorsement of the President for the 2015 election was the highpoint of a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu, as part of his zonal tour of the South-South.

U.S to support 2015 elections with $51m

Click banner for more info

The United States Government on Tuesday said it would provide 51 million dollars (about N8.4 billion) to support credible elections in Nigeria in 2015 and other electoral process in the country in the next five years.

This is contained in “Fact Sheet’’ issued by the White House in Washington DC, which highlighted U.S support for democratic institutions, good governance and human rights in Africa.

NOSCEF faults religious demographics on Nigeria

Click banner for more info

The Chairman of Christian Elders Forum of Northern States (NOSCEF), Mr. Olaiya Phillips, has cautioned against the use of inadequate statistics to create more tensions between Muslims and Christians.

Phillips, who was reacting to an article titled

“U.S.: Nigeria ineffective in quelling violence” in some online publications last week, faulted the attribution of 50% of the nation’s population to Muslims and 40% to Christians.

 He described the statistics purportedly generated from the latest United States’ Department of State Report on Religious Freedom as “false and insulting to the Nigerian Christian community.”

EBola Update: Lagos has Eight suspected Ebola cases, 1 confirmed - Lagos Health Commissioner

Click banner for more info

The Lagos state Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, today August 5th said there are eight suspected cases of Ebola in Lagos. These eight are those that came touching Liberian Patrick Sawyer, who died of Ebola soon after arriving Lagos last month. But from the 8, only 1 case has been confirmed while six others have now been quarantined although they've not shown any outward indications of the illness to date, Dr Idris said.

I will replicate my Lagos, Borno’s feat in Adamawa -Marwa

Click banner for more info

A former military administrator of Lagos and Borno State, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, on Tuesday promised to replicate his achievements in the two states if elected the governor of Adamawa State in the forthcoming election.

He said the recently sacked governor of the state, Murtala Nyako, left the state in a comatose and it needed a man of his status to resuscitate it.

Marwa spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a closed-door meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Nigerian Military probes AI’s alleged human rights abuses

Click banner for more info

The Defence Headquarters has refuted the recent claim by the international human rights campaigners, the Amnesty International, that troops involved in the on-going anti-terrorism operation in the North East committed grisly acts of rights abuse and war crimes.  The AI had released a video in which men in military uniform purported to be men of the Nigerian Army were engaged in extra judicial killings.

 But the Director of Defence Information,  Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, said in a press briefing on Tuesday that the Nigeria military which had always placed emphasis on the respect for human life and human rights could not have perpetrated the heinous acts recorded in the video.

Enugu CJ constitutes deputy gov’s impeachment panel

Click banner for more info

A panel of enquiry will today (Wednesday) begin investigation into allegations leveled against the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi.

The panel will conduct its proceedings in one of the conference rooms in the office of the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice A. I. Umezulike, at the headquarters of the state High Court.

Justice Umezulike constituted the seven-man panel on Tuesday, following the commencement of impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor by members of the state House of Assembly.

Robbery suspects reveal how his brother recruited him into robbery

Click banner for more info

20-year-old Morgan Udama, a member in a 4-man robbery crew arrested yesterday August 4th by police officers mounted on Okota Isolo Police Station in Lagos, while confessing, said he was recruited into criminal life by their own older brother, Oche, who's the kingpin of the robbery gang.

Morgan, a native of Oju in Benue State said he arrived to Lagos the other day Monday July 28th to live along with his brother who'd promised him a much better job which unknown to him was armed robbery

Earthquake hits central South Africa

Click banner for more info

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit central South Africa today, shaking buildings in Johannesburg and surrounding areas. The US Geological Survey said the tremor was centred in Orkney, 170 km southwest of Johannesburg, an area with a high concentration of deep gold mines. Lindy Sirayi, a guesthouse owner in Orkney, said the tremor broke glass lampshades and cracked a wall, and that dogs started barking during the quake, which lasted about a minute. She said she received a telephone call informing her that two people were injured at a nearby mine. The quake was also felt in Pretoria, the South African capital, and Hartbeespoort, a nearby resort town. The area has periodic, moderate tremors, though the quake on Tuesday was one of the strongest in recent years. There are no immediate reports of casualties. 

Ebola Scare: South Korean University Cancels Invitation For 3 Nigerians

Click banner for more info

A South Korean university has rescinded an invitation for 3 Nigerians to go for a conference while several South Korean medical volunteers called off a visit to West Africa amid growing concerns about the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

  
According to Reuters, the Duksung Women's University in Seoul said in a statement the school "politely withdrew" its invitation for three Nigerian students to attend an international conference that it is co-hosting with the United Nations starting from Monday.
  

Ebola: Two Liberians Dropped Dead on Street after No one Agreed to Touch Them

Click banner for more info

Health workers, on Sunday, turned up in Monrovia, Liberia's capital to remove two bodies of possible victims of the Ebola virus, four days after they dropped dead there when nobody would take them to hospital. 

Reuters reports that Nema Red, a resident of Clara Town, said the two men who lay dead in the street for days had shown symptoms of Ebola such as bleeding and vomiting. 

"They started seeking help from the community to take them to the hospital, but community members ran for their lives ... they both gave up and dropped dead on the
ground in the streets of Clara Town," she said, saying they lay there four days. 

Ebola: The Rise And Fall Of Africa

Click banner for more info

Today I write in fear, like every other residents of the only black continent in the world. Our world is ravaged by a dreadful holocaust and our existence under extreme threat. Africa, as the world knows it may soon become a park of flirt and death. The over one billion men and women, boys and girls, young and old may soon become extinct.

Continue..

Inhuman: Unknown Ritualists Plucks the Eyes of a 9 year Old Boy in Bauchi

Click banner for more info

The Bauchi State Police Command has disclosed that some unknown ritualists attacked and removed the eyes of a nine-year-old boy in Toro Local Government Section of the state.  The command's spokesman, DSP Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the incident said around 2.30 pm yesterday, unknown assailants, suspected to be ritualists, attacked and removed the eyes of a nine-year-old Haruna Dahiru of Badiko ward in Toro Local Government Section of the state.  It was learnt that the victim was rearing cattle at Babujaye in Gumau village when the ritualists trailed his movement to a solidarity area where they attacked him.

According to the Haruna,

Sierra Leone capital now in grip of Ebola

Click banner for more info

The traditional healer was not at home when Saudatu Koroma arrived at his clinic in the bustling Wellington neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital. This probably saved his life. Saudatu was suffering from the incurable Ebola virus, the first person to contract the disease in the capital, and was on the run from the hospital.

“She couldn’t eat … couldn’t sleep,” said Sulaiman Foday, a neighbour who was present at the time. Foday watched as police and a medical team arrived at the scene to recover the patient, who was by now lying on the floor of the healer’s house.

Continue..

CAR: French troops kill several Former Seleka fighters

Click banner for more info

French peacekeepers killed several militiamen after they came under attack while on patrol in the Central African Republic, an officer with the African peacekeeping force said Tuesday.  Backed by war planes, the French troops opened fire using heavy weapons on gunmen from the former rebel movement Seleka who attacked them when they entered the northern town of Batangafo on Monday, the officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Several ex-Seleka fighters were killed, he added without saying whether there were any French casualties.

“The clash lasted for hours and loud explosions frightened many residents who fled to the bush,” the officer said.

Israel Withdraws troops out of Gaza

Click banner for more info

Israel has announced the withdrawal of all of its troops to “defensive positions” outside the Gaza Strip.
The move came moments before the latest truce – brokered by Egyptian mediators late on Monday – came into force at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT). Israel claims the main aim of the conflict – to destroy militants’ tunnels – has been achieved.  Gaza officials say the four-week conflict has killed 1,800 Palestinians. Some 67 Israelis have also died.

“The Israel Defence Forces will be redeployed in defensive positions outside the Gaza Strip and we will maintain those defensive positions,” Israeli military spokesman Lt-Col Peter Lerner said.

Earning more money from your business

Click banner for more info

As a venture advances in age, there will be a need to increase the revenue accruing from it. IFE ADEDAPO writes on how this can be achieved

Professionals say most people start their business with the hope and dream of working for themselves and aiming for a financial independent life after working for other people.

However, experts say their dreams may turn into nightmare if care is not taken, because most small businesses find it difficult to cope with marketing, customer service, personnel, and product or service fulfilment all at once.

To sit back and relax after years of investing requires hard work and dedication at the beginning.

Russia Says NATO Revives 'Cold War' Rhetoric to Justify Military Spending

Click banner for more info

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that NATO has revived its 'Cold War'-type propaganda against Moscow to justify the alliance’s military buildup and defense spending.
In a Sunday interview with French newspaper Midi Libre, Rasmussen said the alliance would draw up new defense plans in the face of alleged "Russia's aggression" against Ukraine, and again encouraged NATO countries to increase their defense spending.  "It's all done to justify the alleged need to 'rally its ranks' in the face of an imaginary external threat to NATO, to increase military expenditure and to boost the demand for the alliance in the 21st century," the ministry said.
Continue..

Ebola: No scientific proof of bitter cola potency – Minister

Click banner for more info

The Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said there is no scientific evidence of bitter cola potency in the cure and prevention of Ebola virus disease.

The research work that people are laying claims, to according to the minister is inconclusive.

It would be recalled that in 1999, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, alongside some American researchers conducted a research that showed that extract from bitter cola tend to neutralize the effects of virus. But the outcome of that research work has not been scientifically confirmed to be true or not.

Oyinlola Finally defects to APC

Click banner for more info

The estranged National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party and a former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has said that he will defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress in Osogbo today.

When contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, on Monday, Oyinlola, who confirmed that he would join the APC, said: “So it is. I am joining the APC.”

Ijaws mad Pres. Jonathan Didn't Appoint Their Brother As Police IG

Click banner for more info

From what omo oodua  gathered, Mr. Zuokumor enjoyed accelerated promotion because of Jonathan and he was promoted about three times within a space of just five years.

But Ijaw leaders considered the appointment of Suleiman Abba as a move to appease northern interests ahead of the 2015 elections. Ijaw leaders were said to have made futile efforts to get Mr. Zuokumor to succeed the immediate past IGP, Mohammed Abubakar...

FG not involved in Kaduna bombings – IGP

Click banner for more info

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has declared that findings by police investigators on the July 23 twin bombings in Kaduna State indicated that the Federal Government had no hand in the attacks.

A former Head of State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, who was reportedly the target of the attacks, escaped by the whiskers. His convoy, including the vehicle he was traveling in was however badly damaged by the blasts.

Critics of the government, including the leadership of the APC had raised the alarm, accusing the federal government of having a hand in the attempt on Buhari’s life.

Al- Makura appears before panel, dismisses allegations

Click banner for more info

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has dismissed as spurious and unfounded the 16-count allegations of misconduct levelled against him by the state House of Assembly.

His lawyers also urged the panel to “enter a notice of dismissal of the impeachment notice served on the governor for wants of proof” of the allegations.